Tag: financial independence

we've learned39 Comments
The Most Important Ingredient in the Pursuit of Financial Independence: Excitement!

The Most Important Ingredient in the Pursuit of Financial Independence

Ms. ONL

Over the past two and half years of blogging about our early retirement journey, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting and hearing from several dozen of people who’ve achieved financial independence. All the while, we’ve been going along on our journey, and noticing what spurs us along more than anything. Turns out our journey and those of others’ have one key ingredient in common. Continue reading The Most Important Ingredient in the Pursuit of Financial Independence

gearing up90 Comments
Our last 100 days of work, and the unexpected feelings that have come along with processing the reality that our careers are almost over.

The Last 100 Days // On Finally Processing Reality, and the Unexpected Feelings

Ms. ONL

Today is officially day 100 in our countdown of workdays left before we pull the ripcord and end our careers. Which is exciting! But excitement isn’t our overwhelming emotion right now — what we’re feeling instead is a pretty big surprise. How things finally got real, and the unexpected feelings that came with that. Continue reading The Last 100 Days // On Finally Processing Reality, and the Unexpected Feelings

we've learned70 Comments
What We Know and Still Don't Know About Early Retirement Health Care // Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, Health Insurance, Health Care Coverage, Early Retirement, Financial Independence, Senate Health Care Bill, AHCA, Early Retirees

What We Know — and Still Don’t Know — About Early Retirement Health Care

Ms. ONL

Things have been moving quickly in the health care debate, which many of us on the verge of early retirement have been eyeing closely. Just this week, the latest Senate proposals to reform the Affordable Care Act and the later proposal to repeal it altogether were withdrawn. So where does that leave us all? What do we know? And more importantly, what do we still not know about health care and costs for early retirement? Let’s take a close look. Continue reading What We Know — and Still Don’t Know — About Early Retirement Health Care

we've learned80 Comments
OurNextLife.com // Our changing definition of early retirement and the power of the freedom to fail

Our Changing Definition of Early Retirement and the Power of the Freedom to Fail

Ms. ONL

We’ve evolved a ton in our vision for early retirement, starting with only a vision of what we were retiring from, to now having a clear vision of what we’re retiring to, and making a big shift in the role we see work playing in our post-career lives. But even though we plan to work after this year, we see it as so different from “real work,” because unlike almost everyone else out there, we will be totally free to fail at whatever we do. A look at our new and revised definition of early retirement, and how the freedom to fail has helped us get here. Continue reading Our Changing Definition of Early Retirement and the Power of the Freedom to Fail

gearing up71 Comments
Quarterly financial progress report toward early retirement and financial independence

Magic Numbers, Padding and Panic // 2017 Q2 Financial Update

Ms. ONL

It’s time for our second quarter early retirement progress report — our second to last! — complete with charts galore. This quarter we hit another milestone that’s both wonderful and a relief, and we’re setting our sights on building up a sizable cushion by year’s end for future health care unknowns. Plus: we’ve launched a reader survey and we’d LOVE your input. Continue reading Magic Numbers, Padding and Panic // 2017 Q2 Financial Update

the process68 Comments
Does your exit plan have an exit plan? Why you need to be able to change your mind in early retirement -- about where and how you live, about work, and about anything else. Make sure you build in the resources to keep your options open.

Does Your Exit Plan Have an Exit Plan? // What If You Change Your Mind?

Ms. ONL

Today we’re talking options, and keeping them open. Early retirement isn’t an ending, after all — it’s a beginning. And if we go into that beginning with a limited set of options, and no ability to change our course, we could be setting ourselves up for a less-than-ideal future. Here’s why it’s so important to have an exit plan from your exit plan, which really just means you’re giving yourself the financial and logistical resources to change your mind. Continue reading Does Your Exit Plan Have an Exit Plan? // What If You Change Your Mind?

we've learned79 Comments
The Paradox of Growing Up So We Can Avoid Growing Up // For those of us pursuing early retirement so we can be kids forever, there's an interesting paradox: we have to grow up to avoid growing up and early retire.

The Paradox of Growing Up So We Can Avoid Growing Up

Ms. ONL

I spend a lot of time talking about the nobler aspects of early retirement like how it will give us time to do more volunteering. But can we all be honest? We can do noble things in retirement, but the reason doesn’t have to be noble at all. For us, it’s all about what is most fun, and the answer is: not working. We want to retire early so that we can go back to being kids, but the paradox is that we’ve had to grow up big time to avoid growing up. Continue reading The Paradox of Growing Up So We Can Avoid Growing Up